5-year-old South Side girl's family said she was found in bathtub, but she showed signs of abuse

An autopsy Friday ruled the death of a 5-year-old girl who was found unresponsive in her South Chicago home a homicide, authorities said.

The autopsy determined Verna Tobicoe died of internal injuries she suffered from multiple blunt force impacts, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Verna's death was ruled a homicide.

Authorities said Verna showed signs of severe abuse -- including bruises and cigarette burns -- and her stepmother and father are being investigated on suspicion of abuse and neglect.

Police and paramedics were called to the apartment in the 8300 block of South Brandon Avenue at about 12:15 p.m. Thursday and brought Verna to South Shore Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.

The girl’s stepmother told police that Verna slipped in some Gatorade and hit the back of her head, then soiled herself, according to the police report. The stepmother said she put the girl in the bathtub and got on the phone with a relative, though she kept checking on the girl, police said.

The stepmother told police she heard a "thump" and checked on the girl "a short time later" and found Verna face up under the water, her eyes open, according to the report.

The stepmother said she took the girl into the living room, where she and the girl’s grandfather called 911 and tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to the report.

When officers responded to the scene, a sergeant also tried CPR as other officers organized a police escort for the ambulance that carried the girl to South Shore, sources said.

Medical personnel found no sign of water in her lungs, a law enforcement source said. The girl had bruises and cigarette burns on her body and suffered what was believed to be a fractured skull, sources said.

The girl’s stepmother and father are being investigated on allegations of abuse and neglect, according to Illinois Department of Children and Family Services spokeswoman Veronica Resa.

Child welfare officials have had prior contact with Verna’s family, including the girl’s mother, father and stepmother. The girl’s mother was indicated for neglect in 2014, which is one of the reasons the girl was in her father’s custody, according to DCFS.